And in the End?
by sera131
Summary: "Lin-san, do you want to try dating?" she suddenly asked. When the tea runs out... a lot can happen. Such as Lin and Mai testing out what it might be like to date. However, things just aren't that easy. What will become of them in the end? A journey of their relationship. Will inevitably have mature content in chapters to come.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** All characters in Ghost Hunt are the creation of the Goddess Ono Fuyumi-sama.

* * *

As Mai reached the plaza in Dōgenzaka, a boy approached her.

"Taniyama-senpai!" he greeted.

Mai paused in her trek to the escalator. She recognized the boy as a second year from her high school, but she couldn't remember his name. She was usually good with remembering people's names, but, just recently finishing the college entrance exams, she let a lot of things slip from her mind.

"Hello," Mai returned in greeting.

The boy smiled pleasantly at her, though it left her feeling uneasy.

"We've never gotten the chance to have a conversation," the boy said with an apologetic expression.

"I'm sorry," Mai politely replied. "I've been very busy with work and exams the past few months. I haven't had much time for socializing."

"That's understandable," the boy smiled.

Mai thought about asking him his name, but for some reason she felt that she just didn't want to know.

"Why don't we get something to eat somewhere?" he suggested. "Or maybe if you'd prefer karaoke—"

"I'm currently busy," Mai interrupted. "I have work and I should be going before I'm late."

It was only half true, of course. Still being a part-timer on hourly wage, she made her own hours. With the exception of investigations, she was able to choose when and how long she worked. But she figured a little white lie was okay in this circumstance.

"...ah," the boy responded in disappointment.

"Take care," she waved before quickly turning.

Mai lightly sprinted towards the escalator in her usual manner. Reaching the second floor, she released a sigh. She really didn't like the vibes that boy gave off and she was more than glad to get rid of him.

"Just a minute, Taniyama-senpai!" the boy called after her.

"Damn it," Mai grumbled under her breath.

She hurried towards the familiar blue-grey door at the end of the hall, trying to ignore him. Once at the door, she quickly attempted to open it, but it seemed to be locked. She had already spoken with Lin that morning, so she knew he and Naru were in today. The fact that the door was locked meant Naru wasn't even willing to talk with clients. This foreshadowed the foul mood he was sure to be in.

Mai sighed inwardly as she grabbed her keys to unlock the door. She was on her way to being in a foul mood, too.

"It seems like no one's in," a voice cooed close to her ear.

Mai jumped in surprise. Turning she glared at the boy from earlier. He was seriously creeping her out, and she was getting ready to lash out if he didn't get the message and leave her be.

"I'm sure someone's here," Mai countered in annoyance. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have work."

She quickly opened the door and entered the office, trying to close the door behind her, but the boy pushed past her. Looking around, he whistled appreciatively, causing Mai to cringe. It sounded crude compared to what she was used to from Lin.

"This is a really nice office," the boy observed.

Mai roughly set her bag down on the desk next to the entrance before turning to address the intruder.

"Excuse me," she said, "but this is a place of business. If you do not have a request, please leave."

The boy laughed in a none too pleasant manner. Apparently, his misconception that the office was empty, save for them, caused him to drop his polite act.

"Come on, Mai, don't be such a tease," he brashly replied as he reached out for her.

Mai didn't know how it happened, but in the next instant, the boy was face down on the desk, his arm twisted behind his back as Lin held him in place.

"Lin-san!" Mai squeaked.

Lin inclined his head slightly towards Mai.

"Friend of yours, Taniyama-san?" he asked, his voice low and even. His face held no expression.

"Not in the least," Mai replied vehemently.

"Shall I send him out then?" Lin inquired.

Mai nodded empathically.

"Please do," she agreed.

"Wait a minute," the boy complained, "I didn't do anything."

Lin twisted the boy's arm even farther up his back, causing him to cry out in pain.

"If you ever bother Taniyama-san again," Lin coldly informed him, "I'll ensure that you sincerely regret it."

Grabbing his shoulder, Lin roughly pulled the boy from the desk and escorted him to the door. He forcefully threw the boy out of the office, locking the door behind him. He then calmly turned to look at Mai.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

After a moment, Mai snapped out of her state of awe.

"Thanks to you," she admitted. "That guy was being a real pain in the—"

"Taniyama-san," Lin interrupted, his expression serious, "if you're ever in need of assistance, please don't hesitate to call for me. Especially if the circumstances are detrimental to your well being."

Mai stared at him blankly for a moment. His words were so sudden and unexpected. She couldn't help feeling moved by his concern.

"Thank you, Lin-san," she quietly replied.

Lin nodded in response before silently heading in the direction of the resource room.

"Wait, Lin-san!" Mai called at his unexpected departure. "Shouldn't we leave the door unlocked?"

"We're closed for the day," he replied without turning back.

Mai was left standing awestruck as he disappeared.

"...I see," she said to the empty room.

Mai wondered how Lin could be so protective and so distant at the same time. There was an obvious disconnect between his actions and his lack of emotions.

For some reason, Mai couldn't help but feel slightly irritated about this. It just seemed to bother her if she didn't have close relationships with the people around her. Because of this, it was almost unbearable for her how distant Lin acted at times.

There was no doubt that Lin was a very kind-hearted man, but at the same time, he seemed to lack the social graces to maintain close friendships.

"Mai!" came Naru's harsh voice.

Or perhaps Lin was simply running for cover from the inevitable tantrum of their irritable boss.

"That big coward," Mai mumbled, "I thought he said he'd protect me."

"Mai," Naru repeated, appearing before her.

"Yes, Naru?" Mai responded.

"We're out of tea," he informed her, "and office supplies. What am I even paying you for?"

Mai quietly blinked at him before speaking.

"I'm sorry, boss," Mai apologized, "but that's not what you pay me for. That's Yasuhara-san's job."

"And when he's not here," Naru replied in his severe tone, "it's your job. I'm sending you and Lin out shopping for supplies."

Mai smiled somewhat bitterly.

"Why couldn't he go by himself?" she asked.

"He doesn't know the brand of teas you buy," Naru commented, "and he's in charge of the company money, so I told him to just wait until you came in."

"...oh," Mai responded.

It didn't seem like a task that required two people and it still didn't explain why Lin didn't warn her. He had even called this morning to ask what time she would arrive and he hadn't mentioned anything then. It was just another example of his taciturn nature, which perturbed her to no end.

The man in question walked out of the resource room wearing his thin overcoat. Mai narrowed her eyes, directing a cold gaze in his direction.

Lin immediately stopped in his tracks. He stared between Mai and Naru. They were both visibly irritated and he wondered what happened in the short time he went to retrieve his coat. Mai usually wasn't the one throwing around icy glares. Especially not at him.

"...did I do something wrong?" Lin asked cautiously.

"I wish you had mentioned the tea," Mai commented.

Lin glanced at Naru who simply shrugged his shoulders.

"Didn't Naru explain everything?" he questioned.

"He did," Mai agreed, "in his condescending tone."

"...ah," Lin mumbled. "I see."

He had a good guess as to why Mai was upset at him. The only question was how he should fix the situation. He knew she would get over it in the next few minutes, but that left a very long, awkward silence in the meantime in which Naru would get more irritated and make the situation worse. He silently bemoaned the irritability of his teenage colleagues.

"...I'm sorry that Naru and I have such difficult personalities?" Lin tried, glancing at Naru.

Naru simply shrugged his shoulders as if to say, 'Why are you even trying?'

"Just go buy me my tea," Naru ordered.

He then retreated to his office, leaving the pair to stare at each other.

Mai placed her hands on her hips. She knew, in truth, that Lin was completely unapologetic about his personality quirks, and she honestly respected that. But, surprisingly, Lin's apology covered most of the reasons she was upset. And at least, she conceded, he was making an effort, which she never would have considered possible in the past.

Mai sighed, releasing her momentary anger.

"No, I'm sorry," she apologized. "I was still upset about what happened when I first got here. We've already discussed your unsociable nature, and though it sometimes hurts, I completely understand. These feelings are my own problem, which sometimes can't be helped."

Lin frowned. He knew his silence sometimes bothered Mai, but he never realized it affected her so deeply. The knowledge made him uncomfortable. He had been putting in an effort to be less reserved around her, but he just couldn't change his nature so easily.

"Taniyama-san, I understand," Lin responded. "But rest assured, I consider you a friend, so you shouldn't take my silence or lack of emotional expression as an indication of otherwise."

A smile appeared on Mai's face. The fact that he considered her a friend made her unbelievably happy.

"I really appreciate that," she admitted.

Lin nodded and asked, "Are you ready?"

"Yes," she replied.

After her confirmation, Lin moved to the door to hold it open for her. Nodding to him in thanks, she exited the office, leading the way down the hall to the escalator. They headed to the plaza and stopped near the water fountain.

"Please lead the way," Lin requested.

Mai was quiet for a few moments as she decided which direction they should go. She supposed they only needed to go to the grocer and the office supply store, but if they were going on a shopping expedition…

"Let's keep it low key," Lin added after seeing the glint in Mai's eyes.

"But that's no fun," Mai complained.

"Please, Taniyama-san," he entreated, "large crowds make me uncomfortable. I prefer to avoid them as much as possible."

Mai looked at him sympathetically.

"Lin-san, just give me the money and I can go by myself," she offered.

"No," Lin insisted. "I'm not going to make you carry everything by yourself."

Mai sighed in exasperation. Now things made sense.

"Let me see if I understand this correctly," she stated. "You don't shop because you hate crowds, which means you don't know where anything is, but you're too polite to make me carry everything, so that's why you waited for me to join you."

Lin looked thoughtful for a moment.

"...that's correct," he acknowledged.

Mai smiled.

"I can't believe you and Naru are so shy," she commented. "I thought Mori-san was just joking, but you really are."

"I prefer the term introverted," he replied.

"Is there a difference?" she asked.

"Shyness is more of a fear of how people will judge you," he explained. "Introversion, on the other hand, is a preference for quiet, minimally stimulating environments."

"I would say that's very much like you," Mai responded. "But you're not even a little shy?"

"There's a time and place for everything," he remarked.

"I see," Mai replied. "Well then, I've made up my mind."

Lin raised his brows questioningly.

"We'll go this way," she announced as she pointed down the street.

They began walking down the street in the direction Mai had indicated. Though it was only early evening, the sidewalk was packed with shoppers. Foreigners could be seen every now and then among the mass of people.

As they walked, the large crowd caused Mai to bump into Lin. With her small frame against his tall sturdy one, Mai ended up stumbling slightly while Lin stayed firm on his feet.

Stopping in the middle of the sidewalk, Lin placed his hand on Mai's shoulder to steady her. The crowd continued to mill about them, easily avoiding the pair without even glancing their way.

Mai had never realized until this moment just how solidly built Lin was. Obviously she knew he was athletic, but somehow they had never been this close except that one time in the well…

Mai shook her head, blushing at the memory. She wondered why she always ended up at the bottom of holes with guys.

"Taniyama-san, are you alright?" Lin asked after several moments of silence.

"Sorry, Lin-san," Mai apologized, trying not to blush even harder.

"It's fine," he said. "Is something wrong?"

"No, I'm fine," Mai reassured with an embarrassed smile.

Lin nodded, satisfied that she was alright, and continued walking. As they walked, Mai tried to think of something to talk about. It was true that they had conversations every now and then, but she still found it tough to find a common topic of interest that would keep Lin talking.

"So," Mai tried, "this is very domestic, don't you think?"

Lin briefly glanced towards her.

"Domestic?"

"You know, shopping together, like a family..." Mai trailed off. She had no idea why she brought that up.

Lin slightly furrowed his brow and gave Mai another quick glance. He wasn't sure if she had a point or if she was just talking to talk. He thought it might be the latter.

"Is that so?" he asked cautiously.

"...yeah," Mai replied hesitantly.

She cringed slightly at her wavering voice, hating how difficult it always was to hold a conversation with the man. When she was alone with Lin, she was always desperately searching for something to say. Sometimes it made her so uncomfortable that she had to escape for a bit.

"Lin-san!" yelled a feminine voice.

Mai was broken from her thoughts. Both she and Lin turned in the direction of the voice.

Lin recognized the woman immediately and suddenly panicked. He quickly grabbed Mai's forearm and began to drag her along.

"Wait a minute, Lin-san, what's going on?" Mai asked.

"Taniyama-san, we need to go, now," he replied, his voice full of urgency.

Lin picked up his pace, pulling Mai behind him.

"Is she one of your jilted lovers or something?" Mai asked out of nowhere.

Lin stopped abruptly and immediately turned to Mai.

"No," he said firmly.

"Lin-san!" the woman called once again.

"Please, Taniyama-san, I promise I'll explain later," he pleaded before quickly picking up the pace again.

Mai didn't know what was going on, but she found it kind of exciting. There had to be some kind of juicy story behind all of this and they were being chased. Well, she didn't really like the being chased part.

Lin turned suddenly, pulling Mai down a small lane with fewer people. They quickly hurried past the small shops and cafes. Looking over her shoulder, Mai could see the woman was still following them.

"She's persistent," Mai grumbled.

Ignoring her words, Lin tugged on Mai's hand, urging her to move faster. He was so preoccupied with escaping the woman, that he failed to realize the lane abruptly ended with no way out except back.

When they reached the dead end, Lin began to panic even more. He frantically looked around, eyes wide as he tried to find a way out when there was none.

Considering the fact that Lin practically had nerves of steel and rarely panicked, Mai grew worried by his unusual behavior and began to panic herself.

"Lin-san!" she cried.

When he quickly swiveled towards her, Mai did the only thing she could think of to remedy the situation.

Grabbing his tie, she pulled Lin down to her level and placed her lips against his. His eyes widened further in shock and she quickly grabbed his face to keep him from breaking the kiss.

In the next instant, Lin had his fingers tangled in Mai's hair, his lips pressed firmly against hers. He had never realized kissing someone could feel so incredible.

Mai released a surprised squeak as she felt her back press against the wall. The surprise was momentary as she melted into the kiss, forgetting her surroundings.

Neither noticed the woman witnessing their kiss, a look of surprise and hurt on her face. She quickly left the two in privacy.

Mai unconsciously released a small moan, and before she knew what was happening, Lin had suddenly pulled away. He covered his eyes with one hand.

"...Mai," he muttered.

Groaning in frustration, he brought his hands up to cradle his head. He quickly turned on the spot, facing away from her.

"Lin-san, I'm so sorry!" Mai exclaimed. "I panicked."

Too caught up in his own thoughts, Lin didn't directly respond to her.

"...bad thoughts," he mumbled imperceptibly. "Bad, bad thoughts."

"Lin-san," Mai said, tugging on his coat to get his attention, "please talk to me."

Lin turned towards her, his face a mixture of emotions. Mai was startled by his expression.

"I'm sorry," she quickly apologized. "I was only trying to help you get rid of that woman."

He stared at her vacantly for a moment before he gently lowered his head, attempting to regain his composure.

"Thank you," he quietly replied.

"Who was she anyway?" Mai wondered. "An ex-girlfriend?"

Lin quickly raised his head, giving Mai an inscrutable expression.

"Of course not," he said. "She's just someone I used to have classes with when I studied abroad here. She used to always bother me."

"Well, if you kissed her like that…" she trailed off, unsure of where that thought was going.

Lin frowned at Mai.

"I never kissed her," he insisted.

Mai smiled at his instant denial.

"You're an interesting guy," she pointed out. "I'm sure a few girls have wanted to kiss you. It must be the bad boy attitude."

"I'm not that kind of guy," Lin insisted. "I wouldn't— I'm sorry I kissed you like that."

"Honestly, it was pretty incredible," Mai confessed unintentionally.

She quickly slapped a hand over her mouth, shocked by her own confession.

Lin's eyes widened slightly. It took him a moment to reign himself back in.

"Taniyama-san," he remarked, "you really are something else."

Mai couldn't help giggling slightly. The whole situation seemed a little insane.

"I could say the same of you," she countered with a smile.

"Why don't we just forget that happened," he suggested.

Mai shrugged.

"If you insist," she replied nonchalantly. It was all just too surreal for her to freak out about a kiss.

"I do," Lin agreed. "Now let's go finish the shopping."

He turned to make his way back to the main street.

"Wait, Lin-san!" Mai called as she grabbed his sleeve.

Lin turned back to face her. He didn't reply, but Mai was used to that by now.

"I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable," she expressed sincerely. "We both got lost in the moment and I know it didn't mean anything."

A small smile appeared on Lin's face.

"Taniyama-san, it's alright," he reassured. "It was a favor from one friend to another with the added benefit of being enjoyable."

Mai lightly laughed.

"It was, wasn't it?" she remarked.

Lin nodded in agreement.

"Let's finish our errands," he said.

~oOo~

On their way back, they happened to run into Yasuhara and Ayako by the plaza fountain.

"Good evening," Yasuhara greeted. "Where have you two been?"

"Buying the office supplies you forgot to order," Mai replied icily.

Yasuhara gently frowned before his eyes widened slightly. He scratched the back of his head, laughing nervously.

"I knew I forgot something before I left," Yasuhara said feebly.

"So what are you doing here?" Mai asked. "I thought you were taking the next two weeks off."

"I am," Yasuhara confirmed, "but the boss wanted me to research something."

"Oh?" Mai asked.

"Yup," Yasuhara said as he patted his bag. "I've got some interesting documents for him."

"Alright," Mai responded. "What about you, Ayako?"

"I was in the area doing some shopping," Ayako replied. "So, I thought I'd stop in to visit."

"Same as always," Mai grumbled.

"I can afford these luxuries," Ayako boasted, "unlike a certain poor, unfortunate street urchin I know."

"Hey!" Mai protested, planting a foot angrily on the ground. "I'm not that poor!"

Lin, who had been quietly listening to their banter, suddenly placed a hand on Mai's shoulder.

"Taniyama-san," Lin spoke up. "Perhaps we should move this conversation inside. We're drawing a lot of attention to ourselves."

Looking around, Mai could see people staring at them. This caused her to flush in embarrassment.

"Sorry," she mumbled, looking down.

Lin placed a hand on Mai's back and gently pushed her in the direction of the escalator.

"Never mind that," he told her. "We shouldn't make Naru wait any longer."

"That's true," Mai agreed as she began walking to the escalator. "He's already in a bad mood."

"Oh no," Yasuhara playfully fretted, following behind Mai. "Was it because I forgot the copy paper. I know how he loves the copy paper."

Mai shot a glare over her shoulder at Yasuhara.

"You know it was because of the tea," she said coldly. "Besides the fact that he can't have caffeine on demand, we can't entertain clients without refreshments."

"Has he had any caffeine today?" Yasuhara asked.

Lin turned sideways on the escalator, looking back at the group.

"I bought him tea from the cafe this morning," Lin informed them, "and he had some with lunch."

"He should be fine then," Ayako cut in.

Deciding her comment didn't need a reply, Lin turned to face forward once again, remaining silent.

Ayako crossed her arms, slightly offended by his brush off. She leaned forward to whisper in Mai's ear.

"How do you deal with that guy?" Ayako quietly questioned.

"Huh?" Mai said as she stepped off the escalator. "Lin-san?"

Hearing Mai say his name, Lin stopped on his trek to the door and turned to look at her.

"Mai!" Ayako shrieked, slapping the girl on her arm. "Be quiet."

"Ow," Mai whined, rubbing her arm.

Lin looked at the two women in alarm.

"Taniyama-san, are you alright?" he asked.

"There's your answer," Mai grumbled at Ayako. "He's just a nice guy."

Lin tilted his head, giving Mai a questioning look.

"Ayako was just wondering how I deal with your wonderful personality," Mai answered.

Lin lightly smiled at Mai's comment.

"I'm sure she was," he responded.

He shook his head, turning to follow Yasuhara into the office.

"He seems to like you," Ayako commented.

"Well, we are friends," Mai replied.

"It isn't more than that?" Ayako asked.

Mai frowned at Ayako. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Of course you wouldn't understand," Ayako responded.

She turned to follow the rest of the group inside.

"Come make the tea," Ayako said over her shoulder before disappearing into the office.

"Even now, I still have to make the tea," Mai grumbled. "Five cups coming right up."

When Mai walked into the office, it was to see Lin, Naru and Yasuhara standing in a group looking over some documents and Ayako sitting on one of the sofas waiting for her tea.

"Mai, tea," Naru said without looking up.

"Which tea would you like?" Mai asked, already knowing which one she would make.

"Any is fine," Naru said in a bored tone.

"Assam tea, then," Mai said to herself as she walked to the kitchen.

A long time ago, when she first started working here, Mai had developed a system for making tea. Different days called for different teas. She decided Assam tea would be for tough days, and that's what today seemed like.

After the tea was finished brewing, Mai brought it out on a tray. She set the tray on the table and began handing out the cups. Yasuhara came over to the sofa to join Ayako. Mai took two cups over to Lin and Naru.

"Thank you," Lin mumbled as he took a cup.

He was reading over a set of the documents brought by Yasuhara and distractedly walked over to one of the desks by the front door. He sat down, setting his cup aside.

"I'll take mine in my office," Naru order.

"Yes, boss," Mai replied, discreetly rolling her eyes.

She followed him to his office and set his cup of tea on the desk.

"Anything else?" Mai asked.

"No," Naru responded.

Mai lightly bowed before retreating from his office.

"Can never win with that guy," Mai mumbled to herself.

"Love troubles, Taniyama-san?" Yasuhara asked sympathetically.

"As if," Mai responded, sitting on the arm of the sofa. "I couldn't even make it through a first date with that guy."

"But you're still holding out hope, right?" Ayako asked.

Lin looked up, suddenly interested in the conversation. He couldn't deny that he was curious how Mai felt towards Naru. It had long been speculated among their group.

"No way," Mai denied. "That guy is only interested in his research."

"Then why haven't you had a boyfriend in the whole time that you've known him?" Ayako inquired.

"I—I'm just waiting for the right guy to come along," Mai stammered. "It's not as if I need a boyfriend to feel secure about myself."

"Tch," Ayako responded in irritation. "They have their uses. But you wouldn't know, would you? You probably haven't ever had a boyfriend."

"So what!" Mai exclaimed, standing from her perch on the sofa.

"Just as I thought," Ayako said with a smirk. "I bet you haven't even had your first kiss yet."

"That's not true!" Mai protested.

She instinctively looked at Lin as she said that. His eyes widened slightly as they made eye contact. Mai quickly looked away in panic. She didn't want him to know he was her first kiss. At the time, it hadn't seemed like such a big deal. After the fact, she was just glad it had been with an older, more experienced guy with the decency to not take advantage of her.

"I've kissed plenty of guys," Mai bluffed.

When she looked back at Lin, his eyes had widened further in shock. Now she felt even worse. She wished she hadn't said that.

"You big liar," Ayako accused. "I bet you've never even been approached romantically by a guy."

"That's not true," Mai mumbled, lowering her head.

Now Mai felt bad for a number of reasons, least of which was her lack of experience. She knew she shouldn't even feel bad at her lack of experience, but it didn't help that Ayako was making fun of her.

"I've kissed Taniyama-san," Lin suddenly confessed.

Mai quickly looked up at Lin, surprised that he would admit that. She realized he was trying to protect her again. She supposed that she must have looked extremely pitiful just now.

"What!?" Ayako shrieked in shock. "Why am I only just hearing about this? Are you two dating now?"

Mai snapped her head in Ayako's direction.

"It didn't mean anything!" she insisted.

"Wow," Yasuhara interjected, "way to stab a guy in the heart and twist the knife."

"It isn't like that," Mai tried again. "We're just friends."

"A friendly kiss before dooming him to the friend-zone," Yasuhara pointed out.

"I didn't doom him to the friend-zone," Mai protested.

"So you're saying you'd date him?" Ayako asked.

"I—I…" Mai was speechless.

It wasn't as if she wouldn't consider it, but she had never thought about it before now.

"I'm far too old for Taniyama-san," Lin admitted. "She can do much better and she shouldn't feel ashamed for waiting for the right guy to come along."

"He's so self-sacrificing," Yasuhara gushed. "He's definitely perfect for Mai."

Mai sat heavily on the sofa, burying her face in her hands.

"You two are jerks," she muttered.

There was a moment of silence as Lin glared at Ayako and Yasuhara.

"I should be going now," Yasuhara said suddenly.

"Me too," Ayako added.

Mai could hear the bell ring on the door as they hurriedly left, but she refused to look up. A moment later, she felt the sofa dip beside her.

"I'm sorry," Lin apologized. "I shouldn't have told them, but I thought it might help. I see now that I only made it worse."

"You don't always have to protect me," Mai insisted, "besides I don't have that much experience."

Lin frowned. "But you said…"

"I lied," she confessed. "I didn't want you to know you were my first kiss, but now I think it's worse to let you believe that I kiss just anyone."

"I'm sorry," Lin apologized again. He didn't think about it being her first kiss. "It should have been different."

Mai quickly looked up.

"I told you I enjoyed it," she reminded him.

"But the situation wasn't ideal," he gently argued, "and I was somewhat aggressive."

"Lin-san," Mai said seriously, "I know most of the time you're a gentle person, but I don't mind you being aggressive."

"I don't necessarily have any qualms about it," Lin explained, "it's who I am sometimes. However, it isn't right for me to be that way with you. I've said and done some harsh things in the past, and I regret that."

"I thought we agreed not to dwell on the past," Mai remarked.

"We did," Lin agreed.

"And besides," Mai pointed out, "I'm not exactly the sensitive type. I have some rough edges, too."

Lin faintly laughed.

"I realize that," he admitted. "I think it's one of your best traits, actually."

Mai tilted her head in thought. She really cared about Lin, and regardless of all the awkward silences, they seemed to have good chemistry, so she wondered why they had never developed a romantic relationship.

"Lin-san, do you want to try dating?" she suddenly asked.

His eyes widened slightly in surprise.

"You mean us, together?" he questioned seriously.

"Why not?" Mai shrugged. "You already took my first kiss."

"I think it was the other way around," Lin commented.

"I took your first kiss!?" Mai blurted.

Lin looked down, a slight flush rising to his cheeks.

"That's— that's not exactly what I meant," he stammered.

Mai lightly laughed.

"You don't have to tell me," she reassured, "but I hope I was."

Lin raised his hand to his forehead to nervously rub at his temple.

"Well, until this point, I've been..." he hesitated a moment, "I guess you could say celibate."

"Really?" Mai responded in surprise.

Lin nodded.

"One of the many forms of abstinence that I practice," he remarked somewhat self-deprecatingly.

"For the same reason you're a vegetarian?" Mai asked.

"Somewhat," Lin replied. "It's more about self-discipline."

"I see," Mai remarked, smiling slightly. "You're shy around women, aren't you?"

A small twitch of a smile reached Lin's lips.

"That's half of it," he admitted. "But you should also know that I've been training my entire life to be an expert in my field. Those types of things have hardly ever crossed my mind. I haven't even really had the desire to kiss anyone, let alone anything more."

Mai was quiet for a moment in thought. From their earlier 'mishap', it seemed like Lin was perfectly capable of being sexual. And though he hadn't agreed to the possibility of dating, he hadn't outright refused either.

Taking a risk, Mai reached out, gently taking Lin's tie into her hand.

"Do you want to kiss me?" she asked as she rubbed the fabric of his tie between her fingers.

Lin's breath caught in his throat at the sudden intimacy. He swallowed with some difficulty.

"I— I wouldn't object to it," he spoke softly, remembering the kiss they had already shared.

Raising her eyes, Mai tugged on Lin's tie, causing him to turn in her direction. She looked at him expectantly.

Hoping he was reading her correctly, Lin leaned down. When she didn't pull away, he pressed his lips to hers. He felt a small thrill run through his body at the feel of her soft lips.

After a moment, Mai tugged on his tie again, pulling him closer. He quickly grabbed the back of the sofa with one hand for support, gripping it tightly as she wrapped her hands around the back of his neck.

He was trying to prevent himself from pressing Mai down on the sofa, but she was kissing him enthusiastically and he was finding it hard to control himself.

"Taniyama-san," Lin gasped, pulling away, "we shouldn't do this."

Mai's expression quickly became downcast.

"...why?" she questioned.

"It isn't the time or place," he explained.

"Oh," she said in relief. "I thought you meant we shouldn't do it at all."

Lin shook his head.

"I would definitely regret that decision," he admitted.

"So…" Mai hazard, "does that mean you want to try dating?"

Lin sighed as he ran his fingers through his long forelock.

"Perhaps we should discuss it over dinner," he suggested.

"Tonight?" Mai asked hopefully.

"I would think so," he agreed. "How hungry are you at this moment?"

As if it had a mind of its own, Mai's stomach growled in response. She laughed lightly in embarrassment.

"I guess that means I'm pretty hungry," she admitted.

Lin smiled gently as he thought of how cute she looked while flustered. He paused at the thought. He never realized until just now how often those sorts of things came to his mind. After today, he really had to reconsider how he felt about Mai.

Slowly blinking away his stray thoughts, Lin decided he needed to get back on topic.

"Given that the office is closed for the day, perhaps Naru won't mind if we leave now," he concluded.

"Naru?" Mai asked suddenly.

"Yes," Lin nodded, "we'll have to let him know we're both leaving."

"Oh," she murmured.

"If you prefer, I can talk to him for the both of us," he offered.

"Okay," Mai agreed, "but don't tell him we're going on a date."

Lin frowned slightly.

"I didn't plan to," he admitted.

Mai nodded absently, but didn't say anything more.

Lin gave her a quizzical look before heading to Naru's office. He quickly informed Naru that he and Mai were leaving early for the day to eat dinner. Naru's reply was a simple nod and a mumbled, "I'm not hungry."

Once Lin returned to the main office, the pair grabbed their coats and headed out. Mai left it to Lin to choose the restaurant. Once they arrived and were seated, they quietly chose their meals and placed their orders before Mai finally spoke up.

"Well," Mai prompted, "what do you think? Should we give dating a try?"

Lin exhaled lightly and paused a moment to nervously straighten his silverware.

"I'm having a difficult time looking at the situation objectively," he finally admitted.

"Why is that necessary?" Mai wondered.

"Well," Lin began, "what's the overall goal of 'trying it out'?"

Mai shrugged.

"To be happy, I guess," she replied. "There is no real goal at this point."

Lin contemplated her words for a moment. She didn't seem to have any expectations of where this relationship might lead, but he already knew he couldn't take things beyond dating. Therefore, he didn't see much point in it in the first place.

Even so, his attraction to her was making it hard to say no. He desperately wanted to kiss her again. It was a new feeling for him. But he needed to know that this was more than sexual. If he was going to allow himself to open up to someone, he wanted there to be something else.

"Besides our newly discovered sexual attraction, do you think there's any validity to us forming a romantic relationship?" Lin asked.

Mai tilted her head slightly in thought.

"I think there is," she finally replied.

"Is that so?" Lin inquired.

"Well, I admit that I have no idea what may come of this," Mai responded, "but I know without a doubt that you're an important part of my life. I love you as a dear friend. But even so, I hardly know anything about you. I'd like to know more."

"If that's the case," Lin said, "then why not just spend more time together without dating?"

Mai lightly exhaled.

"I can't say for sure," she admitted. "There's just this feeling inside telling me it's the right thing. If we don't at least try, I'll always wonder. And if it doesn't work out, then I'll at least know."

"So, it would be like a trial run then?" he asked.

Mai pursed her lips slightly in annoyance.

"It's bad to think of it that way," she admonished. "I'm talking about exploring a deeper form of companionship. After all this time, I can't help caring very deeply for you, even loving you. I've always hoped you would reciprocate my feelings in some small way. And maybe it's strange, but I miss having someone close to share experiences with. And not just the near death ones we face at work."

There was a brief pause as Lin considered his words.

"I've never actually said this to anyone," he began cautiously, "but I can readily admit that I do love you as well. I think we've developed a very good friendship, and it's something that I cherish. Even so, I don't know if I can give you what you're looking for. I can't promise a future together."

In spite of him admitting that he reciprocated her feelings, Mai couldn't help feeling a little depressed. She felt her eyes begin to water and quickly looked down, trying to blink away the potential onslaught of tears. She wouldn't cry over being rejected.

"I'm a little disappointed," she said quietly. "I thought…"

"Taniyama-san," Lin said suddenly, "I haven't said no."

Mai quickly looked up at him, but remained quiet. He knew he had to stop dragging this out. His mind was telling him he should say no, but he already knew he wouldn't. He just couldn't get his logic to stop warring with the rest of him.

"While there are things I can never give you," he told her, "I can't refuse you. I just can't bring myself to do it. I've realized that I want you whether or not it's logical."

Mai nervously fidgeted with the napkin in her lap.

"Does that mean you want to pursue a romantic relationship?" she asked hesitantly, fighting the sensation to throw up.

"I do," he agreed, "but I think we should set some boundaries."

"Such as?" she asked, feeling extremely relieved.

"What happened today in the office can't happen again," he explained. "We need to maintain our professionalism, especially during investigations."

"I agree," she replied.

"Secondly, I'd like us to be on a first name basis," he requested, "but again, not while we're at work."

"I wholeheartedly agree," Mai said, nodding emphatically.

"And finally," he continued, "I'd like to keep our relationship private."

Mai hesitated a moment before replying.

"I can live with that," she conceded. "There are plenty of things in my life that I prefer to keep private."

Seeing a hint of sadness in her eyes, Lin stared at her intently. There were so many things he still didn't know about her. And not just the little things. He had no idea about the details of those major events that impacted her life so drastically.

She was so often a strong willed and carefree girl, that he sometimes forgot the sadness and depth that pervaded her character. She had suffered a great deal of hardships in her life, yet she had always kept them to herself.

He couldn't help wanting to protect her. Which in turn made him wonder if he just had a soft spot for orphans.

"I'm usually used to your brooding," Mai commented, "but I can't help wondering what caused it this time."

Lin blinked at her words, focusing his eyes back on her face. He remained silent. He had lost the thread of their conversation and was trying to remember where they had left off. What had caused him to feel so woeful all of a sudden?

"I apologize," he finally spoke, "but what were we talking about?"

Mai gave him a doubtful look.

"Keeping our relationship private," she replied.

"Ah," Lin nodded. He remembered now.

Mai giggled slightly.

"How deep did you go into that brain of yours?" she asked.

"Not very," he replied. "I was just thinking that I'd like to know certain things about you, but they aren't appropriate for a first date."

Mai blushed crimson.

"I— I didn't take you for the lecherous type," she stammered.

Lin's eyes widened considerably.

"You're mistaken," he said quickly. "I just wanted to know more about your family."

"Oh," Mai responded. Now she understood. "That's not something I talk about often."

"I know," he acknowledged, "but it's a large part of who you are and I'd like to understand you better."

"I don't mind telling you, but…"

Their conversation was interrupted by the waiter bringing them their food, and distracted by dinner, they lapsed into a silence.

After dinner the pair departed the restaurant and Lin offered to escort Mai home. She accepted his offer and he ended up walking her all the way to her doorstep.

They stood before Mai's door in an awkward, yet somehow comfortable silence. Lin found that he liked being with Mai, but the sexual tension between them had him on edge. He wondered if he should kiss her again.

Making a decision, Lin stepped forward, taking Mai's chin into his hand. He tilted her head slightly up and she closed her eyes. Looking down at her, he lightly wetted his lips. He slowly leaned down, preparing to kiss her on the mouth. At the last moment, though, he lost his nerve and kissed her forehead instead.

Mai opened her eyes in surprise.

Pulling back, Lin stared down at her and she quietly stared back.

"I'm sorry," he muttered, shaking his head. "I know we've already kissed, but suddenly I'm nervous."

"Because there's no reason to stop," Mai quietly replied.

"What?" he asked.

"You're afraid you won't be able to stop yourself," Mai clarified.

"How did you know?" he wondered.

"Don't you remember? I'm the girl with the sixth sense," she declared playfully.

"I remember," Lin said fondly.

"Besides," Mai added, "we've kissed twice now. Both times you wanted more, but you stopped yourself."

Lin sighed, running his hand through his hair.

"I guess I'm conflicted," he admitted.

"Don't feel bad," she replied comfortingly. "You're just trying to protect me. It seems to be instinctual with you. Eventually, I'd like more, but for now we can take it slow."

After telling Lin that, Mai stood on her tiptoes and pulled him down to kiss his cheek.

"I think you're really adorable," she whispered in his ear before letting go of him.

Once her feet were flat on the ground again, she took his hands in hers and squeezed them reassuringly.

"I'll see you tomorrow," she told him.

Feeling determined to end it at that, Lin nodded. He was slightly disappointed that he hadn't kissed her, but he truly was afraid of his newly awakened desire.

"Tomorrow," he said, placing one last chaste kiss on her forehead.

She smiled at the sweetness of his actions before turning to head inside. Giving him one final look, she closed the door behind her.

Lin stared at her closed door for a moment before turning to leave, but his feet just wouldn't cooperate. Unable to leave it at that, he turned back to knock on Mai's door. After a moment, she opened it.

"Did you forget—"

Mai's words were cut off as Lin grabbed her and leaned down to kiss her on the mouth. He didn't hesitate this time as he pressed his lips against hers. After a moment, he pulled back slightly and smiled at Mai's dazed expression.

"I couldn't leave without doing that," he explained.

"I'm glad you came back," she whispered.

"So am I," he murmured before kissing her again.

After a moment, Mai pulled back slightly.

"Do you want to come inside?" she asked.

"I think we should leave it at this for now," he told her quietly.

"Okay," Mai nodded.

Finding it difficult to let her go, Lin continued to hold her in his arms.

"Are you sure you don't want to come in?" Mai asked again.

"I shouldn't," he insisted.

"Alright," Mai replied, taking his arms from around her. "You better go before I don't let you."

Lin nodded gently.

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "It's just difficult."

Mai lightly laughed.

"I prefer it that way," she confessed. "Now go."

She laughed again as he continued to hesitate, and pushed him out of her doorway.

"Good night," she waved.

"Good night," he said as she smiled and closed her door once more.

With that, he left to return to his apartment.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Thank you everyone for your reviews. I want to say that I do have a plot for this story, so it does have a set ending already. I was originally going to post this in three long chapters, but that's looking unfeasible at this point. I just want to work on a chapter long enough to feel comfortable with it so that I don't end up regretting what's been posted. Anyway, please enjoy. Reviews are appreciated.

 **Disclaimer:** All characters in Ghost Hunt are the creation of the Goddess Ono Fuyumi-sama.

* * *

"Do you want to go out tonight?" Mai asked.

Lin sighed inwardly. They had been dating for nearly two months now and had already been on numerous dates. Dinner, movies, festivals and a whole slew of events full of crowds of people. He was starting to get fed up with it.

"No," he replied tonelessly as he continued to type.

Mai frowned at his response. She wondered if she had done something wrong. Was he getting tired of her already? She had to admit he never seemed thrilled on their dates, but he had never refused until now.

"What's wrong?" she questioned timidly, fearing the answer.

"Nothing," he replied. "I just don't feel like going anywhere tonight."

Mai paused hesitantly. She wasn't sure how to deal with him at the moment. If he didn't want to spend time with her tonight, then maybe he just needed some space. For all she knew, he could be suffocating from all the time they were spending together. She didn't want to be the clingy girlfriend type.

"I guess I'll see you on Monday, then," she replied as she began to turn to leave.

Lin quickly turned towards her.

"Wait," he said, grabbing her hand. "What do you mean you'll see me Monday?"

"You said you didn't want to do anything with me tonight," she reminded him. "So, I'll see you after the weekend."

Lin frowned at her misinterpretation of his words.

"That's not what I said," he protested. "I just don't want to go anywhere."

"So then, what does that mean?" she asked.

Lin sighed deeply. He stood up and closed the door to the resource room to give them some privacy.

"Mai," he said gently, "please don't take this the wrong way, but I'm finding dating to be more difficult than I thought it would be."

Mai swallowed uneasily. She could feel her hands start to shake, so she pressed them firmly to her side.

"Does that mean you want to break up?" she questioned.

Lin's eyes widened in surprise.

"Of course not," he insisted. "I'm just not enjoying the crowds. I thought we could spend some time alone instead."

Mai sighed in relief and unconsciously released the tension from her shoulders.

"You should have said that first," she admonished.

She sighed again and sat heavily in the chair he had just vacated.

"The things you put me through," she complained as she lightly held her stomach. "I think I might have an ulcer."

Lin looked at her doubtfully, but didn't comment.

"What?" she asked.

"I don't think you have an ulcer," he said calmly.

"So unapologetic," she muttered woefully.

Lin gently sighed.

"Are you going to let me get anymore work done?" he inquired.

Mai hung her head.

"A beautiful girl sitting right in front of you and all you can do is think about work," she complained.

Lin gave her a wry smile.

"I'm thinking about _work_ ," he emphasized, "so I can leave soon and hold that beautiful girl."

He then lightly pulled her from his chair and took her place.

"Now leave me alone for a little while," he told her as he went back to typing.

She frowned at his brush off, but did as he asked. Things would go faster if she didn't bother him right now.

"Fine," she replied sulkily before leaving.

She headed back out to the main office and sat at one of the desks. She supposed it would be at least another hour before Lin considered himself finished with work for the day, so she decided to study.

As she was pulling out her coursework, Naru entered the main office.

"Mai, you can go home now," he told her.

"Oh, I was going to wait for Lin-san," she replied.

Naru frowned.

"What for?" he asked.

Mai hesitated. She was supposed to keep their relationship private, but she had spoken without thinking. She wondered what she should say to cover up her mistake.

"Oh, umm, we were just going to hang out," she answered.

Naru looked at her skeptically.

"Hang out with Lin?" he questioned. "Why?"

Mai nervously played with the edge of her book.

"Why not?" she said with a shrug.

Naru was about to reply when he was interrupted.

"It isn't a problem, is it?" came Lin's voice.

Naru looked over his shoulder at him.

"No," he replied, "but I didn't think you two had anything in common."

Lin tilted his head slightly in thought. Did they have anything in common?

"Well, perhaps not," he conceded, "but at least I buy her dinner."

Mai scowled at his comment. He was in for it later. She didn't know whether or not he had said that to divert Naru's attention from her, but she didn't like it either way.

"I'm not a charity case," she muttered angrily.

Naru looked back towards her and smirked. He couldn't resist the temptation to tease her.

"I almost forgot Lin had a soft spot for charity cases," he remarked.

Mai gave him an icy glare.

"Then that must be why he follows you like a shadow," she retorted.

Naru shrugged and grabbed his coat from the coat rack.

"Must be," he replied before walking out the door.

There was a long pause following Naru's departure. Lin considered that he might have said the wrong thing. He stared at Mai, but she refused to look at him. After several long, uncomfortable moments, he finally decided it was time to speak.

"I… decided I've accomplished enough for the day," he said somewhat hesitantly.

"Is that so?" Mai asked shortly.

Lin slightly frowned. By the tone of her voice, he could tell she was definitely upset, which was slightly frustrating for him. All he had wanted to do was wrap up work so they could spend a quiet evening together. But things were never that easy. He couldn't understand why things between them seemed to only get more difficult the longer they dated. He wanted everything to just be fine.

"Did you want to pick up something to eat on the way back to your place?" he asked, trying for normalcy.

"Fine," Mai responded flatly as she stood up to pack her things.

Although she said that, Lin knew, at this moment, nothing was fine. She was definitely in a mood. Even so, he felt strongly compelled to hold her. So, he calmly walked over and gently wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin atop her head.

"Don't be mad," he told her.

Mai stopped what she was doing.

"Don't tell me not to be mad," she replied. "I have every right to be."

Lin softly exhaled.

"You know I didn't mean it," he tried to reason with her. "Besides, what about what you said."

"I meant it," she snapped. "You follow Naru around like a puppy and you have plenty in common, so maybe you should date him instead."

Lin was quiet for a moment. He knew they agreed to no intimacy at the office, but being this close to her made him feel slightly elated and he couldn't help himself. He lowered his lips to her neck.

"He doesn't make me feel the way you do," he told her quietly as he kissed her skin.

Mai's eyes gently fluttered shut and she had to suppress a sigh. She wondered how he could affect her so easily. Even so, she wasn't going to give in yet. Discreetly taking a steadying breath, Mai spoke up.

"If you think that's going to make everything better, you're wrong," she informed him.

Lin laughed, causing a tickling sensation against Mai's skin. She attempted to remain still and managed a decent job of it.

"You're so stubborn," he mumbled into the crook of her neck.

"You have no room to talk," she countered, her mood softening somewhat.

Lin smiled at her remark and she could feel it against her skin. She desperately wanted to see that smile.

"That's one thing we have in common," he joked.

Mai sighed deeply in exasperation.

"The only thing we have in common," she corrected.

"Don't hold a grudge over that," he stated calmly. "Why does it even matter whether or not we have anything in common?"

Mai sighed again. Why did it matter? It usually wouldn't, but she was feeling insecure in their relationship recently.

"We might get tired of each other," she answered, feigning indifference. She was unwilling to fully admit her insecurity.

Lin reflexively tightened his hold around her. He wasn't quite sure if he was trying to comfort her or himself.

"I can't speak for you," he commented, "but personally, I don't find that likely. At least, not in my case."

He had a slight doubt whether she could put up with him for much longer, but he tried not to linger over the thought.

"You got tired of our dates," Mai pointed out.

Lin closed his eyes and rested the side of his head against hers. He was certainly tired of arguing. It only served to increase his doubts and he hated feeling inadequate for her.

"I got tired of other people," he corrected. "Now turn around and kiss me."

"Why should I?" she asked.

"Because we've made up now," he replied evenly.

Mai squeezed her eyes tightly shut, attempting to resist the temptation to turn around and do exactly as he told her. Fights weren't supposed to end so easily she told herself. She wanted him to at least apologize.

"Maybe you shouldn't come over," she finally replied.

Lin opened his eyes and frowned. He certainly didn't like that suggestion. He hadn't realized the issue was so serious.

"Is that what you want?" he asked.

When Mai remained silent, he swallowed uneasily. He hoped he hadn't ruined things between them.

"Mai," he said quietly, "I'm sorry I said we didn't have anything in common. I didn't think it was that big of a deal. I love spending time with you."

Mai turned to face him.

"Are you sure?" she asked quietly.

"Of course," he insisted. "Do you honestly think I would have suffered through all those dates if I didn't enjoy your company?"

Mai looked at him reproachfully.

"You almost managed a proper apology," she responded.

Lin briefly paused. He knew there was something else on her mind, but he wasn't sure what.

"You've been on my case all week about apologizing," he remarked. "What is this really about?"

Mai hesitated for a moment.

"You've just been really distant lately," she noted. "And you've been acting a little harsh."

Lin silently considered her words. Perhaps he was being a little distant, but was it really anymore than usual? He sighed and took Mai's hands into his.

"First of all, that's just my personality," he stated. "And secondly, I'll admit I was a bit moody after spending so much time around strangers. But I truly am sorry."

Mai quietly looked down and nodded. She didn't know what to say. She couldn't exactly fault him for his personality. He was just a closed off individual. Forcing him to be otherwise wouldn't help matters.

"Do you think you can still put up with me?" he asked after a few moments.

Mai quickly looked up at him in surprise. She wondered if he was feeling insecure, too. Were her actions causing him undue concern?

"I'll admit it's been a little difficult," she told him, "but I like being with you. I'm sorry if I've given you any doubt of that."

Lin was glad she had said that. It made him truly realize the reason for his behavior.

"I have had some doubts," he confessed. "I know I'm difficult, but you mean a lot to me. I was worried about the health of our relationship and it made me withdraw somewhat."

Mai sighed. This relationship was difficult for the both of them. The fact that they were complete opposites didn't help matters. But she at least thought it was worth it. If only they weren't so closed off because of their fears.

"Maybe it's a vain hope," she mused aloud, "but I wish we could communicate our feelings more easily. I think it would save us a lot of heartache."

Lin realized that he wasn't as opposed to the idea as he thought he would be. This entire situation was truly new for him.

"I don't think it's a vain hope," he admitted. "I often wonder what you're thinking, so I'm willing to speak my mind more if you are."

Once again, Mai was surprised by his words and looked at him in shock. Lin gently laughed.

"Is it really so strange that I'd want to express myself to you?" he asked.

"Definitely," Mai nodded. "Although, I'll admit you do talk more now that we're in a relationship."

"I'm sure you would have quickly tired of me if I didn't," he replied.

Mai smiled.

"You're also a lot funnier," she remarked. "You have a good sense of humor. Well, maybe you sometimes laugh at weird moments, but that's okay."

"It's easier to relax around you now," he admitted.

"Did I make you uncomfortable before?" Mai wondered.

Lin nodded.

"Absolutely," he confessed. "I never knew what to say to you. It made me a little nervous whenever we were alone."

Mai tilted her head to the side. She found that interesting. It was exactly how she used to feel. She couldn't help laughing.

"I felt the same way," she admitted. "It gave me so much anxiety being left alone with you and not knowing what to say."

"Two peas in pod," Lin commented.

"Huh?" Mai asked.

"You and I, we're very alike," he clarified.

As Mai opened her mouth to reply, their stomachs growled in unison.

"Maybe we are," Mai laughed. "Let's pick something up to eat somewhere, then we can spend the rest of the night alone together."

Lin nodded, pleased with the idea.

"I'm ready whenever you are," he announced.

When Mai finished packing up, she briefly grabbed Lin's hand. She squeezed it gently and gave him a warm smile before releasing it and heading to the door.

Lin felt his heart flutter and found himself wishing he could continue to hold her hand. But even if they weren't keeping their relationship private, it wasn't appropriate to hold hands in public in Japan.

Still, he wondered if Mai would be open to the idea. He quickly shook the thought from his head. Perhaps spending so much time in England had a detrimental affect on his Asian modesty or perhaps Mai just made him a little reckless.

"Koujo," Mai called from the door, "are you coming or not?"

Lin nodded and followed her to the door. He turned out the lights and locked up.

On the way back to Mai's apartment, they stopped for take out. During dinner the pair were quiet. Mai was used to talking with friends during a meal, but she knew Lin just preferred to eat. It didn't bother her too much anymore since she knew they could talk afterwards. Or perhaps something more enjoyable she hoped.

After dinner, Lin helped Mai clean up the table. They made tea and returned to the small living room, which also functioned as Mai's bedroom during the night. Mai was slightly disappointed that Lin chose to sit on the opposite side of the table, but she was excited to talk about more personal things now that they were alone.

They sipped tea for a couple of minutes before Mai finally found the courage to ask her question.

"So, what's your family like?" Mai asked timidly.

She at least knew, unlike her, that he had family, but she was still nervous asking about them.

Lin stared at Mai for a few moments. He really wished that hadn't been her first question. He didn't want to talk about his family for various reasons.

"Well..." he began, "my parents are… strict and levelheaded. My younger brother is..."

"You have a younger brother?" Mai interrupted.

Lin nodded.

"He's set to inherit the family business..."

"What!?" Mai exclaimed. "Your family owns a business?"

She couldn't believe she didn't know these things about him.

"Mai..." Lin sighed. "Can we please not talk about my family."

"Oh, I'm sorry," she apologized. "I didn't know it bothered you to talk about them."

Lin frowned slightly. It didn't necessarily bother him to talk about his family. He just didn't want to think about his family in relation to Mai. He wholeheartedly believed Mai was a wonderful person, but his family held certain unavoidable prejudices, which would cause them to dislike her and he didn't enjoy being reminded of that.

"How is university going?" he asked, trying to change the subject.

Mai shrugged.

"It's harder than high school," she admitted, "but I'm doing fine so far."

Silence descended between them and Mai couldn't believe she was feeling awkward again right after they had talked about being comfortable around each other now. She tried to think of a safe topic. Something he would enjoy talking about.

"So…" she hazard, "any news on that prototype from the guys at the lab?"

Mai had heard him talk about it with Naru not too long ago. It had something to do with decreasing the margin of error between their cameras and measuring equipment.

Lin immediately perked up at her question. He looked genuinely pleased that she had asked.

"The new timing system is amazing," he stated. "We switched from the old analogue wirewound delay lines to the quartz glass waveguide type. We can get incredibly accurate timing delays, which allows us to perfectly sync the phase alternating line on all cameras. It automatically corrects phase errors in the transmission of the signals by canceling them out. At the cost of vertical frame color resolution, of course."

"A quartz what?" Mai asked in confusion.

"A quartz glass waveguide," Lin explained. "It functions to delay the video signal thus allowing differences in clock pulses to be minimized. With this we can achieve perfect video synchronization. Now that our receivers are using the quartz delay lines..."

To say that Mai was a little lost was an understatement. Lin was using a lot of terminology that she just wasn't familiar with. Even so, she enjoyed watching him as he talked enthusiastically. His enthusiasm was definitely appreciated, but she knew he was having a total geek moment and didn't think he would stop talking anytime soon.

She wondered just how long he would really go on. She honestly loved when he talked, but she also loved when he did other things. And now that they were alone in her apartment, she wanted those other things. The only question was how to derail his detailed commentary on timers and video streams. She had an idea, and even though she thought it might be a little silly, she knew it would at least shift his attention to her.

Rising halfway, she slowly climbed atop the table and began to crawl across on her hands and knees. She attempted to be as agile as a cat. Lin stopped talking and looked at her questioningly.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Trying to seduce you," she said quietly as she stopped directly in front of him.

She kneeled before him on the table and reached out to wrap her arms around him. Before she realized what was happening, though, the table began to wobble as she overbalanced it. She went tumbling forward and Lin quickly caught her, but he unexpectedly fell backwards onto the floor.

When his back hit the solid wood, with the added weight of Mai falling on top of him, his breath forcefully left his mouth in a light puff. The clatter of their empty teacups could be heard as they rolled along the floor.

Mai lifted her head, brushing the hair from her face. She looked at Lin sheepishly and he stared back.

"Did I succeeded?" she asked.

Lin couldn't help chuckling lightly.

"You don't have to do much to succeed in the first place," he informed her.

Mai smiled gently at him.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, "did I hurt you?"

"I'm fine," he said calmly.

Mai gave him a knowing look.

"I truly am fine," he reassured her as he sat up.

He readjusted Mai so that she sat comfortably on his lap, then gently rested his hands on her hips.

"Was I boring you?" he asked warmly, enjoying the feel of her body against him.

"No, I just missed having you hold me," she explained.

"If that's the case," Lin replied, "then I'll finish our discussion—"

"Hey!" Mai exclaimed. "That discussion was too technical!"

Lin laughed lightly.

"I think you can handle it," he replied as he wrapped his arms around her.

He pulled her closer until their noses were barely touching and leaned his forehead against hers. He released a gentle sigh. Being so close to her produced a calming effect over his entire body. It was inexplicable. There was just something about the way she made him feel. He had never felt it before.

He was suddenly broken from his state of drowsy contentment as Mai began to play with his necktie.

"What are you doing now?" he asked as he pulled back slightly.

"Seducing you," she murmured as she slowly, tantalizingly undid his tie.

His pupils dilated, causing Mai to smile with satisfaction. Despite the quick start to their relationship, they hadn't progressed far in terms of intimacy, but she still knew the less obvious signs of his arousal. She had gotten used to seeing them whenever they shared a few brief kisses in her doorway at the end of a night out. He always had a hard time staying in control and the fact that she could drive the all too often stoic man out of his senses so easily made her very pleased.

He was having much of the same effect on her as he ran his hands up her back. She loved when he touched her like this. It almost caused her to stop in her task, but she managed to finish.

"Kiss me," Lin murmured as Mai threw his tie aside.

She gently took his face into her hands. He stared at her intently as she caressed his skin with her thumbs. They jointly felt an overwhelming sense of tenderness fill their bodies and wondered where these feelings had suddenly surfaced from after all these years. Had they always been there?

Mai ignored the questions in her mind and gently kissed Lin. He slowly breathed in through his nose and pulled her closer, wanting every part of her pressed against him. She wrapped her arms over his shoulders in order to decrease the space between their bodies.

Their kiss quickly grew heated to the point that it became hard to breathe. Mai pulled back panting and attacked the buttons on Lin's shirt. One went flying as she attempted to release him from the fabric.

"Oops…" she giggled. "Sorry."

Lin lightly grunted, not caring at the moment. They could deal with that later. He pulled Mai back towards him, pulling off her shirt before kissing along her collarbone. He gently exhaled at the feel of her soft skin against his lips.

The sensation of his warm breath made Mai shiver and her hips jerked involuntarily. This movement created an unbelievably pleasant friction between them, causing the pair to moan in unison.

With the pleasure clouding his brain, Lin couldn't control his next actions. He lifted Mai from his lap none too gently and pinned her to the floor as he ensconced himself between her thighs. He captured her mouth once again, loving the feel of her warm, pliant lips against his.

He knew he was losing control, but Mai was driving him mad with the way she trailed her hands down his body. When she finally reached his belt and began to unfasten it, he knew he had to stop her, but it took all his willpower to reign himself back in.

"Wait a moment," he insisted as he pulled back.

Mai didn't heed his words. Instead, she reached into his pants and cupped his erection.

He gasped and grabbed ahold of her arms, pinning them above her head.

"Mai," he said firmly, "wait a moment."

Mai frowned up at him.

"What's the matter?" she asked.

He softly exhaled, closing his eyes for a moment. He had so many reservations about this. He couldn't just take her virginity. Especially not when he knew he could never marry her. This thought again made him wonder what the point of them being together was.

"It's just..." he faltered.

"Been awhile since you touched yourself?" she asked.

Lin frowned.

"That's not it at all," he replied.

"Then what is it?" she questioned.

"I just think we're moving too fast," he said, sharing his thoughts with her.

Mai sighed in frustration. This was the furthest they had gone since they started dating. She wanted more though.

"Why can't you ever just throw caution to the wind and act on impulse?" she questioned. "I want to experience these things with you."

"We only just started dating," Lin objected.

"It's already been seven weeks," Mai argued.

"That's not that long," he countered.

"I don't understand what's holding you back," she said with earnest. "You want to have sex with me, don't you?"

"Of course I do," he insisted. "Couldn't you tell?"

"I could," she acknowledged. "So then, why can't we have sex?"

"I'm not saying sex is completely out of the question," he replied. "I'm just saying we should seriously consider the consequences."

"Like what?" she asked.

Lin softly exhaled.

"The loss of your virginity for one thing," he pointed out.

"I don't care about that," she immediately responded.

"Then consider for a moment the scenario where our relationship doesn't work out," he tried to reason, "how can we ever go back to the way we were after that kind of intimacy? It may very well ruin our friendship."

Mai suddenly sobered. She knew he was absolutely right. She didn't like the thought of it, though. It was painful and somewhat nightmarish to think that everything they had could be destroyed so simply.

She could feel her eyes prickling with tears, but she was determined not to cry. Even so, she couldn't control it. She silently cursed the treacherous tears that escaped her eyes.

Growing frustrated that she couldn't swipe them away since Lin was still holding her arms, Mai angrily turned her head to the side to avoid looking at him.

Frowning, Lin released one of Mai's arms to turn her face back towards him. Seeing that she was lightly crying, he brought his other hand down to gently wipe at her tears.

"Mai," he whispered, "what's wrong?"

She was silent for a moment as she attempted to find her voice.

"I don't want to think about that scenario," she confided. "And I don't want to ruin our friendship."

Lin looked at her intently, not sure what to say. It was the truth of the matter and they had to take it into consideration. Still, seeing Mai cry made him uncomfortable.

"Do you think it was a bad idea for us to do this?" Mai asked.

Lin remained silent as he worked through his thoughts. His logic told him it was the worst idea possible, but he couldn't bring himself to say that. It wasn't just for Mai's sake that he wouldn't say it. He knew he would never change the decision they had made no matter what the outcome was.

"I can't find it in myself to regret this," he admitted, "and I don't want to stop."

"I don't want to stop either," Mai agreed.

They stared at each other silently for a short while. Considering the stilted mood, neither of them felt like continuing their previous activities. After a moment of thought, Lin lifted Mai to straddle his lap. He pulled her close, hugging his arms around her. She laid her head against his shoulder, wrapping her arms under his. He ran a hand soothingly up and down her back.

"No matter what happens," she murmured, "I'll always love you. You're very dear to me."

"I know," he acknowledged. "You're very dear to me as well."

They remained silent for several minutes.

"Will you wait a little longer?" Lin finally asked.

"Why?" Mai questioned.

"I don't know," he responded honestly.

There was a long pause.

"How long?" she asked.

"Another month at least," he admitted.

"My nineteenth birthday and no longer," she requested.

He pulled back to look at her. Her tears had dried.

"Alright," he conceded, "your nineteenth birthday."

She smiled and he kissed her softly.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Umm... I think I should change this story to mature now.

 **Disclaimer:** All characters in Ghost Hunt are the creation of the Goddess Ono Fuyumi-sama.

* * *

Three months. It had been three months and Mai was blissfully happy. She could hardly believe her relationship with Lin was going so well. Sure, they sometimes bickered, but that was understandable considering how stubborn they both were.

The majority of the time, though, they got along perfectly fine. And Mai was finding that, sometimes at least, there was comfort in sharing silence with another person. She definitely enjoyed the quiet moments she shared with Lin and she enjoyed it even more when he began spending the night every Saturday.

Once he started staying over, the two of them just sort of fell into a comfortable routine of everyday life. Mai would work on homework or some sort of hobby and Lin would do his own thing. Mai would call it, for lack of a better word, domestic.

Occasionally, though, Mai would wonder if their relationship was in a slump, but then Lin would unexpectedly wrap his arms around her and lovingly kiss her neck. Following that, all doubts would disappear. They still hadn't had sex, of course, but it was enough for Mai just to be with Lin.

And today, they had made it to three months. It wasn't much in terms of anniversaries, but when you were just starting out, you had to count the little things. They didn't go on too many dates anymore, but Lin had promised that tonight he would do whatever Mai wanted.

Mai considered that she might be wasting a golden opportunity, but she really wanted to see a popular horror film that just came out. It was about ghosts and she was curious to see how they were currently being portrayed in movies.

Right now, Mai was waiting at the theater for Lin. He said he had some things to wrap up at the office and she didn't want to arouse Naru's suspicions again by waiting for him there.

She looked at her wristwatch. It was almost time for him to arrive.

"You weren't worried I'd be late, were you?" Lin asked from beside her.

Mai quickly looked up at him and her heart swelled with joy.

"You? Never," she smiled.

Lin barely managed not to smile himself. He could hardly believe how beautiful she looked bathed in the soft glow of the setting sun.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Yup!" Mai nodded cheerfully.

With that they headed inside to watch the movie.

~oOo~

"Wasn't it scary?" Mai asked excitedly as they exited the theater.

Lin shook his head. He didn't think it was scary, but he certainly enjoyed having Mai cling to him throughout the movie.

"I wouldn't call that scary," he said calmly. "We've been through worse. Although, I will say it was interesting."

"I read it was a real story based on the writer's own experience as a child," Mai informed him proudly. She had done a little research on the protagonist's backstory.

"Then perhaps it's an accurate account of the events," Lin replied. "It certainly portrayed some of the known spiritual phenomena well."

Mai nodded firmly.

"I think it is," she asserted. "If it happened to the writer himself, then he'd want to tell the facts."

Lin smiled at her enthusiasm. He loved the way her eyes lit up when she was excited.

"However, don't forget it was a dramatization," he pointed out, "not a documentary."

"Oh, I know," Mai conceded, "but all ghost stories are dramatizations to make them scarier for the audience. And on top of that, there are many diverse cases."

"That's true," Lin agreed.

Mai smiled happily at his willingness to accept her view. Following that, they lapsed into an easy silence as they walked down the street, their arms bumping every now and then. Not long after, however, their silence was interrupted.

"Taniyama-san, is that you?" came a man's voice from behind them.

Recognizing the voice, Mai quickly turned around. Lin turned slightly and looked over his shoulder.

"Akifumi-san!" Mai greeted cheerfully.

Akifumi quickly looked Mai over. She hadn't become taller, but her body was more womanly since he had last seen her and her skin had a beautiful glow to it.

"It is you," Akifumi replied. "How have you been? You look amazing!"

He smiled at Mai charmingly and Lin felt a pang of jealousy soar through him.

"I couldn't be better," she said happily. "How are you? How is your family?"

"I'm well," Akifumi replied, "and my family is doing great now thanks to you. It's been so long. I'm really glad I ran into you."

He smiled at Mai once again, then suddenly looked at Lin as if just realizing he was there.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Akifumi said apologetically to Lin, "I remember you, but I can't recall your name."

Lin turned around fully and reached over for Mai's hand. He intertwined their fingers and pulled her a little closer. Mai looked up at him in pleasant surprise as she affectionately clasped her opposite hand over his arm.

"Lin," he replied curtly.

Akifumi's eyes widened in surprise.

"I… I didn't realize you two were so close," he stammered.

Mai returned her gaze to Akifumi and smiled brightly. If Lin was holding her hand, it meant he didn't mind her telling Akifumi about their relationship.

"Not until recently," she admitted. "Three months now actually."

Mai lightly squeezed Lin's hand, enjoying the contact. He caressed her thumb with his in return and Akifumi quickly averted his gaze in embarrassment.

"Well… I'm glad to see your doing well," Akifumi said awkwardly. "If you'll excuse me, though, I'm supposed to meet some friends."

"No worries," she reassured, bowing her head slightly.

Akifumi quickly bowed his head in return and departed. Mai couldn't help noticing how uncomfortable he looked as he left.

"Hmm… that was strange," she said quietly.

Lin didn't comment on her words. Instead, he tugged on her hand.

"Let's go," he said flatly.

He was upset, but he couldn't find a rational reason for his sudden bad mood.

Mai instantly knew something was wrong.

"Is everything alright?" she asked as she let herself be led along.

"It's fine," he muttered.

Mai knew what that meant. He was trying to hide that he was upset. She decided to wait until they were safely back at her apartment before addressing it, though.

The rest of their journey was spent in uncomfortable silence. Despite this, Lin refused to let go of Mai's hand. Even on the train, where they received several disapproving glares, he still wouldn't let go. She was torn between enjoying it and being worried. He had never acted like this before and she wondered what had caused it.

The moment he got inside Mai's apartment, Lin immediately went to sit down and fell deep into thought. He didn't like the idea of anyone smiling at Mai the way Akifumi did. He knew he was being irrational, though. He had full confidence that Mai would never cheat on him and if she left him for another man, then he no longer had a right to be jealous. But did he have a right to be jealous at all? Mai had willingly accepted his hand and didn't try to hide that they were together. If anyone was in the wrong, it was him.

After watching Lin brood for several minutes, Mai decided he had taken long enough to think things over. She sat down in front of him and gently placed her hand on his knee.

"Koujo, what's wrong?" she questioned.

"Nothing," he replied tonelessly.

Mai sighed.

"We promised we would be more open about our feelings," she reminded him.

He didn't reply.

"Was it because of Akifumi-san?" she asked cautiously.

Lin frowned deeply.

"Don't call him that," he requested tersely.

Mai sighed again.

"Are you really jealous of him?" she asked.

There was a short pause before Lin nodded once.

Mai found it a little hard to believe that he was jealous of that short interaction, but she was no stranger to jealousy and knew it wasn't always rational. In the past, she would get jealous of the girls that fawned over Naru. There was no justification for how she felt back then, but she thought it was at least reasonable for Lin to feel the way he did since she was his girlfriend.

If the roles were reversed, she considered that she might be jealous herself. In fact, she knew she definitely would be. She would hate having someone trying to cozy up to Lin. As she thought about it, she nodded angrily and clenched her fist.

Mai was suddenly brought back to the present as she heard Lin laugh. She quickly looked up.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

"You," he laughed, "thinking about beating up anyone that dares to flirt with me."

For a moment, Mai looked at him in shock before shaking it away.

"Hey!" she protested, lightly pushing his shoulder. "I didn't laugh at you!"

"I know," he said with a smile. "It feels good, though, that you would be jealous."

Mai laughed a little.

"It does, doesn't?" she agreed.

Lin nodded and leaned over to kiss her. She gladly accepted. After a moment, he pulled back slightly.

"I want to keep you to myself," he told her.

Mai smiled.

"And I you," she replied as she grabbed the front of his shirt to pull him in for another kiss.

He easily allowed it and captured her lips with his. His body tingled as Mai applied a light suction to his bottom lip and he couldn't help thinking that their mouths fit together perfectly as if designed to do so. To him, there was nothing better than kissing Mai.

'Except maybe that,' he thought as she gently ran her fingers through his hair. He unconsciously stopped moving his lips and sighed against her mouth.

"I think I found your weakness," she murmured as she lightly massaged his scalp.

He leaned his head into her touch, but didn't respond. He looked like he was in absolute bliss.

"Hmm… it really is your weakness," she noted. "Why haven't I done this before?"

"No idea," he mumbled. "But don't ever stop."

Mai laughed a little.

"Anything for you," she said.

She leaned her forehead against his and ran her fingers through his hair for several minutes, simply enjoying the softness of his hair. As she continued her attentions, though, her eyes started to drift shut and she gently yawned.

"I'm sleepy," she admitted.

Lin opened his eyes. He had forgotten about stopping to get food when he was upset.

"But you haven't had dinner," he reminded her.

Mai removed her hands from his hair and sat back.

"Can't we just skip it?" she asked.

Lin shook his head.

"If you want something quick, I can go to the convenience store and buy some onigiri," he offered.

"No, please don't go," Mai begged.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because I'll miss you," she admitted.

Lin paused for a moment. He was slightly overwhelmed by a sense of fondness for Mai and her adorable quirks. And if he spoke now, he wasn't sure if he'd be able to hide the immense emotion from his voice or stop himself from saying something foolishly sentimental.

He hesitated another moment to take a steadying breath and recover his equanimity.

"Come with me," he calmly suggested.

Mai sighed and leaned back to lie on the floor. She was really exhausted and it was finally catching up with her.

"I don't want to go anywhere right now," she complained.

Lin softly exhaled. She was just too adorable for words. Shaking his head, he stood up and walked to the entrance way, where he started to slip on his shoes.

"You're just tired and hungry," he replied knowingly. "I'll go to the store and come right back."

He waited a few seconds to see if she would respond before he grabbed the door knob.

"Wait!" Mai cried out. "I'll go, too."

~oOo~

After they returned from the store, the pair quietly ate. It didn't take them long to finish their snack.

"You should get ready for bed while I set up the futon," Lin suggested.

"Okay," Mai softly responded.

She was very tired and due to her fatigue, it took her some time to wash up and change. By the time she got back to her main room, Lin had already changed into his night clothes. Seeing Mai was done, Lin walked past her to finish up his night routine.

Mai went to the futon and laid down, trying to leave enough room for Lin. Feeling drowsy she let her mind wander to random things while she waited for him. She didn't want to fall asleep before he joined her. She mostly thought about the things she had to get done before the summer holidays and, by the time Lin laid down beside her, she was definitely ready to fall asleep. His body was warm and comforting against hers.

"Are you feeling alright?" Lin asked.

Mai looked at him and nodded sleepily.

"I'm just a little exhausted from school and work," she admitted. "Even with the scholarships, it isn't easy completely supporting myself and going to university."

"You did choose a difficult degree," Lin noted.

Mai shrugged her shoulders.

"Technology is the future of Japan," she replied. "And if I continue ghost hunting, it will help with work. Just think, I'll be more useful to you with the equipment."

"You're already really helpful," Lin assured her.

"You're the helpful one," Mai countered. "You've been supporting me a lot with my schoolwork and my work at the office."

"I'm happy to help," he stated. "You're a hard worker and I enjoy being able to look after you."

Mai sighed and closed her eyes. Lin was always taking care of her. She was, of course, very grateful for everything he had done for her. And if it wasn't for him and that whole shoe shelf debacle, she didn't know where she would be right now. However, he was a little overprotective.

"You should move in with me," Lin suddenly suggested.

Mai quickly opened her eyes.

"What?" she questioned.

"It will make things easier on you if you move in with me," he restated.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Mai replied. "Don't you live next door to Naru?"

Lin frowned slightly.

"That is a bit of an issue," he agreed, "but I still want to take care of you. We could work something out."

Somehow, Mai didn't find the idea appealing. It just didn't feel right.

"I'm not going to be someone's kept woman," she answered.

Lin was surprised by her reply. He didn't know how she had come to that conclusion from what he had said.

"You know it wouldn't be like that," he responded. "We would support each other."

"So what, then?" she questioned skeptically. "We'd have some kind of domestic partnership?"

"I don't know," he answered. "I guess so."

Mai shook her head.

"That's not a situation I want to be in," she told him frankly.

"But we've practically been living together already," he pointed out.

"One day a week is not the same as living together," she insisted. "And maybe things are different for you, but I want to have a family someday and living unwed with a man doesn't portray that message."

"So what does that mean?" he questioned. "You won't stay with me unless I agree to marry you?"

Mai sighed. She knew he had some kind of issue with the whole marriage topic, but she didn't know what. She had once tried to ask him if he had any intentions of ever getting married and he outright refused to discuss it. He wouldn't even discuss the topic in relation to others either. The whole subject just made him irritable and she really didn't want to get into an argument over it. The day had been going so well and she wanted it to continue in that way.

"I don't know," she mumbled, trying to divert the conversation.

"Don't," he warned. "I want an answer."

Mai sighed again and looked at him contemplatively. Did marriage really matter enough for her to give up what they had? She eventually wanted to have children, but that wasn't something one did outside of marriage in Japan.

Even so, she didn't know if she could let go of Lin. While she wasn't completely sure what one would consider 'romantic love', she felt wholly content being with him. It was something beyond what she had felt for Gene. Back then she had thought she was in love. Now she had to question what being in love meant.

She honestly didn't know if she was in love with Lin, but she could hardly imagine being without him anymore and the thought of it made her slightly tearful.

Lin lightly frowned. He always regretted his actions when he made her cry. It was a weakness of his.

"I'm sorry if I upset you," he quickly apologized. "I just… I don't want to lose you."

That was exactly the reason Mai had begun to cry in the first place. She didn't want to lose him. The fact that his thoughts so perfectly mirrored hers made her cry even more. This caused Lin to grow seriously worried.

"Mai, please forgive me," he pleaded. "If the idea of living together upsets you this much, I won't bring it up again."

Mai gently wiped at her eyes.

"Dummy," she laughed, "it's not that."

Lin furrowed his brow in confusion.

"Then what is it?" he asked.

"I just love being with you so much," she replied. "But I don't want to think about the future. I want to continue what we have right now for as long as possible."

Lin gently placed a hand against her cheek.

"Mai…" he whispered.

He couldn't find the words to express what he felt. Of course he loved being with her, too, but it was something so much deeper than simply enjoying each other's presence.

Even so, there was an air of melancholy surrounding their relationship. It was as if they both knew it wouldn't last and they were desperately trying to hold onto each other. He didn't want it to be that way. What he had with Mai meant so much to him. He wanted to give his entire self to her.

"What are you thinking about?" Mai asked.

Lin was silent for a long moment as he let his eyes roam over her face. What words were there to express these feelings?

"I never thought I'd feel so connected with someone," he murmured. "Being with you has gone beyond all my expectations."

"I feel the same way," she whispered. She paused for a moment. "Do you think this is what falling in love feels like?"

"I don't know," Lin admitted, "but I don't think we need to make that distinction."

"Why not?" Mai asked.

"I love you," he stated, "you know that, and I know you love me. We make each other happy, so it doesn't matter if we're _in_ love."

"I see what you mean," Mai said. "I just wonder what the difference is between loving someone and being in love."

"I suppose it's hard to tell in our case," Lin admitted. "Since we already had a deep connection."

Mai looked at him as she considered his words. It was true that they had a connection before their relationship. She had never noticed it until recently, but they had shared a friendship fueled by mutual concern over the other's well being. And that friendship had grown into something unbelievable. He was more than a simple friend now.

"Koujo," she whispered.

"Yes?" he asked.

"You're my best friend," she confessed.

Lin's expression softened, a gentle smile forming on his face. He looked at Mai intently.

"You're mine," he replied.

Leaning forward, Mai placed a light kiss on his mouth.

"I never want to let you go," she murmured against his lips.

Looking into her eyes, Lin raised a hand to softly stroke her hair.

"You won't have to," he promised. "There could never be anyone else other than you."

Mai gently sighed.

"I think that's called being in love," she whispered sleepily, her eyelids drifting shut.

Lin quietly stared at Mai. She was right. He had fallen in love with her and he wanted to spend the rest of his life with only her.

"I'm definitely in love with you," he admitted.

"...love you, too," Mai mumbled.

Lin smiled at her sleepy response and, feeling the need to be closer, he draped his arm over Mai's waist, lightly caressing the dip of her back as he breathed deeply in contentment.

"I'm so in love with you," he sighed.

"Mm…" she replied, already half asleep.

Lin closed his eyes, wondering if she would remember this conversation in the morning.

~oOo~

Mai slowly awoke to the warmth of being held from behind. She immediately felt a painful, tingling sensation in her arm. Very slowly, she began to move her arm, attempting to get the blood supply flowing in once again while at the same time trying not to wake Lin. She used her opposite hand to massage the muscles. After a minute, the tingling had dissipated. Sighing, she rolled onto her stomach. Moments later she rolled onto her back.

"Stop wiggling," Lin grumbled.

Mai sighed.

"I can't help it," she whined. "One futon just isn't big enough for two people."

Lin was silent for a little while. Just as Mai was thinking he had fallen asleep again, he slowly rose to his feet and groggily made his way towards the bathroom.

After he left, Mai stretched out in the middle of the futon. Enjoying the relief it brought her muscles, she closed her eyes, sighing as she released the stretch.

A few minutes later, Lin returned. He silently stared at Mai, wondering if she was going to make room for him. Another minute passed before he gently nudged her leg with his foot.

"Hm?" she hummed sleepily.

Lin grunted softly.

Understanding his request, Mai lightly shook her head in negation causing him to sigh. He briefly rubbed his hand over his face before kneeling down. He laid down half on top of Mai, resting his face against her chest. He stretched one arm above his head and snaked the other beneath her shirt to rest against her side.

After a moment, he began to softly stroke her warm skin. Mai mumbled something.

"Hm?" Lin asked.

"It tickles," she said a little louder.

He paused in his attentions.

"Don't stop," she whispered.

At her request, he resumed stroking her skin and she sighed. Shortly after, she began to run her fingers through his hair, gently scratching his scalp in the process.

A while later, Lin's hand paused again. Mai stopped her own hand.

"Did you fall asleep?" she asked quietly.

Lin was silent for a few moments before lightly humming. He gently cleared his throat.

"No, I'm awake," he mumbled.

Mai nodded and continued to run her fingers through his hair.

He lightly sighed and momentarily tightened his arm around her, gently squeezing her against him.

"You like being pampered, don't you," she gently teased.

Lin remained silent as he slowly ran his thumb across her skin.

"...I'm loathe to admit it," he said, "but I'm finding that I do enjoy it."

"I enjoy it, too," Mai agreed. "But what do you want to do today?"

"This," he mumbled as he nuzzled her.

Mai laughed.

"What about when you get hungry?" she questioned.

"This is all I need," he insisted.

Mai sighed gently.

"It is nice, isn't it?" she replied.

He remained silent and continued to stroke her skin. There was such an overwhelming sense of comfort in this small act of contact. The feeling caused Mai to close her eyes in contentment.

After a moment, Lin looked up at Mai. Her face held a soft smile. The sight of it caused his heart to soar.

"Mai…" he murmured.

She slowly opened her eyes and looked down at him.

"I love you," he said earnestly.

"I know, Koujo," she said with a smile. "I love you, too."

Lin lightly shook his head.

"No, Mai, I'm _in_ love with you," he clarified.

Mai's eyes filled with tenderness. She felt as if she had been waiting an eternity to hear him say that, yet she didn't even know she had been waiting for it.

"Koujo, I'm in love with you," she responded in kind. "And I never want anyone else but you."

Lin nodded in agreement.

"You're the only one I want," he told her softly.

Mai's eyes lightly watered and a lazy tear slowly formed a trail as it made it's way down the side of her face.

Wanting to be nearer, Lin gently readjusted his body until he was resting between her legs. He supported himself on his elbows so that he could look down at her. Looking at her, he felt a warm, fullness pervade his chest.

"You're so very beautiful," he whispered as he brushed away the tears pooling at the sides of her eyes.

Mai softly smiled and Lin leaned down to kiss her. She couldn't help sighing the moment his lips touched hers. His kisses were always full of such warmth and gentleness. The way it built her up was like a slow growing madness, making her lose control of herself. Just his lips made her mind burst with emotion clawing to escape. She needed more of him. Needed his warmth.

As he kissed her, she slowly trailed her hands up his back, inching his shirt up as she went until she finally stopped to pull it over his head.

Being freed from his shirt, Lin looked down at Mai and gave her a small half-smile.

"What are you doing, Mai?" he questioned, though he knew perfectly well.

"I want to feel your skin against mine," she told him desperately.

He stared at her momentarily before nodding in acquiescence.

He shifted his weight to his left arm and, starting from the top, slowly began to unbutton her nightshirt. He leaned his head down close to her chest and tenderly kissed each new section of her skin as it was revealed.

Every time his lips touched her skin, Mai felt a pleasurable ache surge throughout her body. The sensation caused a slight pressure to build within her chest, sending her breaths into a slow, heavy rhythm.

When he relieved the final button of its fastening, Lin slowly slid his hands up Mai's body until they rested against her lightly heaving chest. He gently cupped her breasts and kissed his way up her belly.

Finally bringing his face level with his hands, Lin softly placed his lips against one of her erect nipples. Mai gasped at the contact and her chest involuntarily rose up against him.

He gently kissed against her chest before slowly running his lips upwards to her neck. Mai wrapped one arm over his shoulders and buried her opposite hand in his hair. Her hands clenched against him as he slowly kissed up her neck to her jawline.

Lin continued his trek upwards until he reached Mai's lips and captured them with his own. She moaned into his mouth and pushed her hips up against him. He returned her moan and thrusted against her.

Grasping the futon tightly in his hands, he continued to thrust against her. The feel of his pant fabric was rough against his erection, but the heat and pressure from Mai's body was immensely pleasurable. She was driving him mad again and he didn't know where this would lead if he didn't stop now. He wanted so much more, but he wasn't yet ready to take her virginity.

"Mai," he gasped, not sure if he meant to stop this or ask for more.

Mai responded before he could finish.

"Don't stop," she begged. "Please don't stop."

Closing his eyes, he consented to her request and continued to rub against her. Soon, without realizing it, his forehead came to rest against hers. She gently nudged him and he tilted his head to take her lips again. Their kiss was messy and hot. It portrayed the desperate need they felt for each other right now.

Without warning, Mai suddenly broke the kiss.

"Right there," she moaned. "Just like that."

Her words aroused Lin beyond anything and he wanted to return all the pleasure she was giving him.

"Mai," he moaned, "come for me."

She made a needy mewling noise as her body rose to meet his. In an instant, her body was convulsing against him and she clung to him desperately.

Continuing to thrust, Lin slid his hands beneath Mai to wrap her in a tight hug and hid his face in the crevice between her neck and shoulder. After a few more thrusts, his body stiffened and he groaned quietly.

Stilling, his body relaxed. He kept his face hidden against her neck. His breaths came out hot and unsteady against her skin and his body was wracked with small tremors.

Mai panted as she tried to catch her breath. She was amazed at just how incredible that had felt, but as she came down from her high, she suddenly worried about the level of intimacy she had forced on him. They had never done anything like this before.

"Koujo, was this okay?" she questioned.

She felt him quickly nod, but he made no comment. It was several minutes before he calmed.

"Mai," he finally spoke, his words muffled against her skin, "stay with me forever."

Mai's breath momentarily caught in her throat. When she could breathe again, she tightened her arms around him and nodded.

"Always forever," she promised.

~oOo~

After washing up, Lin and Mai sat in the bath together with Mai secured snugly between Lin's legs. The pair were quiet as Lin slowly massaged Mai's back.

Lin felt mesmerized as his hands slid smoothly against Mai's skin. She was so remarkably beautiful and she had chosen him. Really, they had chosen each other. And somehow, they were perfectly matched. There was no one who could ever replace Mai in his heart and he knew no one ever would.

He never wanted to lose Mai. He wanted her to stay with him and be his wife. He wanted to make a family with her.

"If someday I asked you to marry me, would you?" Lin quietly asked.

Mai opened her eyes and sat silently for a moment. She could hardly believe what she had heard.

"Lin Koujo, did you really just bring up the topic of marriage of your own free will?" she questioned.

"...well," he hesitated, "maybe if… never mind."

Mai sighed. Maybe she had addressed that the wrong way.

"Just so you know, I'd say yes," she informed him.

Lin didn't reply, but was infinitely pleased. That was the first hurdle. However, if he really wanted to make it happen, and he definitely did, he had to find a way to convince his parents.

For the time being, he put the thought out of his mind and wrapped his arms tightly around Mai's waist. Leaning his head down, he gently placed a kiss on Mai's cheek.

"I love you," he murmured against her skin.

Mai leaned back against his chest.

"I love you, too, Koujo," she said quietly.

~oOo~

By the time Lin made it back to his apartment, he was determined to call his parents. When he got inside, he set down his overnight bag and walked to the phone. He stared at it for a moment, getting ready to pick up the receiver from the cradle, when he remembered to check the time. It was just after 9:00 pm, which meant it would be around noon in London.

Him calling wouldn't be a problem. What he was calling about could be, though. However, he wanted to marry Mai, which meant he had to get the consent of his parents. He didn't dare marry her without their permission, so this call was necessary.

Steeling himself, he picked up the phone and dialed the number from memory. He held the phone to his ear and stood waiting. When the line finally connected, it was a woman who answered.

"Mother," Lin addressed.

There was a short pause.

" _I see my eldest son has finally deemed it necessary to call his mother,_ " she replied.

"I'm sorry for my lack of contact," he apologized, "I've been distracted by my work and training."

" _So that must mean you have something important to discuss,_ " she concluded.

"Yes, I do," he confirmed. "I'd like to get married."

" _At long last,_ " she commented, her tone tinged with sarcasm. " _Are you returning to London, then?_ "

"No," he replied, "I've met someone here."

There was a long pause.

" _Is she Japanese?_ " she questioned quietly.

He paused to prepare himself.

"Yes," he answered.

His mother's mood instantly soured.

" _Have you forgotten what those people did?_ " she questioned bitterly, her voice razor-sharp. " _How they won't even admit their crimes?"_

"...no," he replied.

" _Then how can you even bear to be with someone like that?_ " she demanded.

"She isn't like that," he insisted. "She acknowledges that what happened was wrong."

" _Simply to ease your feelings, I'm sure,_ " she countered.

"No, she isn't like that," he restated. "She wouldn't say something she didn't believe just to appease me."

" _Then you plan to abandon your family and make a life in that country?_ " she questioned.

"I hadn't considered it," he admitted. "I was calling to ask for your and father's consent to marry her."

" _You'll never have it if she's your choice,_ " she informed him.

Her words caused a painful, stabbing sensation in his chest. He had expected resistance, but not outright refusal.

"I need to marry her," he said without thinking.

" _Why?_ " his mother questioned. " _Have you lain with her? Is she pregnant?_ "

"No," he quickly replied. "I haven't lain with her."

" _Do not lie to me_ ," she warned. " _Have you forgotten the importance of a woman's virtue?"_

"I haven't," he answered. "I want to marry her because I love her."

" _Then save yourself the heartache and end things now_ ," she replied coldly.

There was a click followed shortly by the sound of the dial tone. His mother had hung up on him. He placed the receiver back in the cradle and stared at it for several minutes.

That had gone considerably worse than he had anticipated. His mother's final words painfully resonated in his mind. But no matter what she said, he wouldn't end things with Mai. He couldn't. His life would be an empty routine without her. He would go on, but…

No, he definitely wouldn't lose Mai. He wasn't going to give up yet. He'd convince his parents somehow.

~oOo~

At the office on Monday, Lin briefly spoke with Naru before setting to work preparing Mai's work assignments for when she came in later in the afternoon.

He grabbed several tapes from the video catalog and brought them back to the resource room, then began typing up a memo for Mai. Once he was finished, he resumed his work from the previous week.

Before long, he was lost in his work and the next time he looked at the clock, it was nearly 2:00 pm. Mai would be there soon. He glanced at the tapes stacked on the desk. There were quite a few of them and he hoped Mai wouldn't be overwhelmed.

Suddenly, he realized there was a tape missing. He got up to go retrieve it from the video catalog. As he opened the door to the resource room, he heard several voices. Upon reaching the main office, he saw that Takigawa and Ayako were there speaking with Yasuhara.

When they looked at him, he very slightly bowed his head in greeting, but didn't say anything as he made his way to the shelf where they kept the videos.

"Anyway, Shōnen," Takigawa continued, "you should just ask Mai out."

Yasuhara sighed.

"I can't just do that," he replied. "I've tried to drop hints to let her know I'm interested, but she hasn't given me any signs that she reciprocates."

'She doesn't,' Lin thought as he located the missing tape. He turned to head back to the resource room.

"That doesn't mean she isn't interested," Takigawa tried to console. "She probably just hasn't noticed. You know how Mai is."

'She isn't and she probably hasn't,' Lin continued in his head as he walked past them.

"Hey Lin," Takigawa called out, "you think Shōnen has a chance with Mai, right?"

Lin turned and quietly stared at him. The man had no idea about the level of absurdity his question held. Of course Yasuhara had no chance with Mai.

Just as he opened his mouth to speak, the bell signaling someone's arrival sounded at the door.

"Good afternoon," Mai called out energetically.

She stopped in the doorway when she saw Ayako and Takigawa. After a moment she made her way over to the coat rack.

"Hey you two," she greeted as she hung her coat, "I didn't expect you to be here today."

She glanced at Lin.

"And Lin-san, you've come out of your cave," she added.

Lin lightly bowed his head in greeting to Mai before beginning to move towards the resource room.

"Wait, Lin-san," Mai quickly called out before he could get away, "do you have my work assignments ready for the day?"

Lin turned back to face Mai and nodded.

"In the resource room," he informed her.

"Okay, I'll be there in a minute," she replied as she walked over to the group.

Lin nodded and turned once more. He made his way to the resource room and left the door open to wait for Mai.

Once Lin was gone from the main office, Takigawa spoke.

"Lin never changes, does he?" he commented.

Mai shrugged.

"I guess not," she responded. "Anyway, what are you two doing here?"

"We came to discuss plans for your birthday on Friday," Ayako told her.

Mai silently stared at her. She hadn't considered spending her birthday with anyone but Lin.

"Oh… okay," she said absently. "We can discuss it after I get my assignments."

Ayako gave her a strange look.

"Are you okay?" she questioned.

Mai smiled to ease the situation.

"Of course I am," she replied. "I just didn't think about my birthday. Give me a few minutes, though."

Mai quickly walked off towards the resource room. When she got inside, she gently closed the door. Leaning against it, she bowed her head and sighed. Secret relationships were complicated.

"It's okay if you spend your birthday with them," Lin pointed out.

Mai turned her gaze to him without lifting her head.

"But I wanted to spend it with you," she admitted.

"Then perhaps they'll invite me as well," he reassured her. "And if not, then you can request it."

"Are you okay with that?" Mai questioned.

"Of course," Lin answered. "If you want me at your celebration, then I want to be there."

Mai looked down thoughtfully. She was glad he was willing to spend time with everyone for her sake, but she didn't want to have to spend the whole night pretending they were nothing more than friends.

"Here," Lin said suddenly as he held out a memo for her.

Mai took it and spent a few moments looking it over.

"You want me to analyze all of volume 15?" she questioned. "This case was ages ago. Aren't you finished yet?"

Lin shook his head.

"It was a long case and we gathered a lot of extremely good data," he stated. "And even I have limitations on how much I can get done."

Mai nodded in understanding.

"But is Naru okay with me doing this?" she asked.

"Yes," Lin replied. "He was the one who suggested it."

"I see," Mai answered.

"He's very eager to have this data processed for his new thesis," Lin commented.

Mai sighed.

"Of course," she mumbled.

"If you don't want to do it, that's fine," Lin assured her, "but Naru foresaw this eventuality. That's why he had me take the time to train you. And if you prove to be an effective analyst, he's willing to up your pay grade."

Mai softly exhaled. It wasn't that she didn't want to help. She was just nervous that she'd mess up and miss something important. Then she'd end up increasing the workload for Lin.

"Mai," Lin said gently, "it's only volume 15 and I'll be checking your work until you get comfortable with it. You don't have to worry."

"But is this really the case I should be practicing with?" she questioned timidly.

"This is the best case for you to practice with," he asserted. "There's an abundance of relevant phenomena to assess."

As Mai nodded, there was a knock at the door. She turned and opened it. Yasuhara stood outside.

"Yes?" she answered.

"Excuse me, Taniyama-san, but there's a client waiting for you," he informed her.

"Thank you, Yasuhara-san," she replied. "I'll be right out. Please prepare the tea."

"Certainly," he nodded with a smile before leaving.

Lin quietly exhaled in annoyance. Mai glanced back at him.

"What's the matter with you?" she questioned.

"It's so obvious," he muttered.

Mai shook her head.

"Even if you say that, I still don't understand," she responded. "Are you upset?"

"Not particularly," he admitted, "but I wonder how you never notice."

Mai frowned.

"Stop being so cryptic," she admonished. "And come help me with the interview."

Lin was about to refuse when he had a sudden thought. Even after they started dating, Mai had never asked him to help with a preliminary interview.

"Do you think the case will be significant?" he wondered.

Mai paused. She was unsure of why she had requested Lin's presence right now. Did she sense something peculiar about this client before she had even met him?

"I think so," she hazard. "Although, I can't say for certain."

"I'll go speak with Naru while you handle the initial questioning," he offered.

Mai nodded.

"Alright," she agreed.


End file.
